Can't Forget You
by C-Rokkk
Summary: Tony has a secret, and the team is worried about him. Ziva is the only one that gets to the truth. TIVA.
1. The Reason

**Authors Note: Hey everyone! **

**I don't know how or why I got this idea, but it popped in my head and I ran with it. I'm hoping I can update a lot, but work is crazy and I am working on other projects. **

**But anyway, here it is, and I hope you enjoy! **

**Review when you get to the end? :)**

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, they're not mine. :(**

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It had been a week.

A week since Tony received that awful whatever-it-was-about call.

He hadn't laughed, made a movie reference, or a joke. He came to work, actually did some work, and then went home.

Ziva sat across from him, staring, wondering what was going on with him. When he received the call at a crime scene, he answered the phone, rather angrily, and told the person he'd call them back. He must've done that on his lunch break, for when he got back was when he was completely different. That night, she tried to find out what was bothering him, but he wouldn't say a word. He insisted that he was fine, and she was wasting her time and effort worrying about him.

Ziva wasn't the only one worried about him. McGee and Gibbs asked him what was wrong more than once over the week and he denied that anything was each time. Abby tried as well and struck out, and Ducky tried to get into his head, but that attempt failed as well.

She turned her head and continued to watch him. His hand was holding up his head as he leaned on the desk. He was writing something, probably a report from the case they just finished. Maybe she should talk to him alone and see if she could get anything out of him. They were, after all, friends.

Or, at least, she saw them as friends.

He snapped her out of her thoughts when he stood from his desk, put his report in a folder and stuck it in the filing cabinet. He then shot her a look as he walked over to the stairs and took two at a time towards the director's office.

Ziva's gut churned. Tony _hated_ to go into that office. So for whatever reason he was going up there, it had to be something serious. Her mind went into turbo-drive, as well as her heart. He wasn't quitting, was he? Did he find another job? Did Vance offer him another job? Was he okay? Was he sick? Or his Dad! Was his Dad okay?

She let out a sigh and tried to calm herself down. She looked over at Gibbs, who was also looking on the floor above to where Tony went. Whatever was going on with Tony, Gibbs didn't know about. That thought scared her even more.

Tony DiNozzo was one who didn't keep secrets.

Until now.

About 15 minutes later, he returned to the squad room, a manila folder in his hand. "Boss, can I talk to you for a second?"

Gibbs looked up at him, "Yeah."

From her desk, Ziva was paying attention to the conversation that was happening at the boss's desk next to hers. She hated to eavesdrop on her partner, but she had to, she decided, if she was going to find out what was going on with him.

Tony used his eyes to look at Ziva and then at McGee, "Alone?"

Gibbs stared at his senior field agent for a second and then stood up and followed Tony down from the squad room, right before turning the corner at the stairs.

Ziva watched as Tony talked with Gibbs before handing him the folder. Gibbs opened it, examined the blue paper, and then took it all the way out, using the folder to bare down on as he signed his name.

Her gut churned. She knew the colored papers, green, blue, and yellow, were leave requests. Yellow was a day, that one she knew, but she couldn't for the life of her remember which of the others was a week and which was a month.

Asking McGee was not a good idea, she decided. He'd only panic like her and start to wonder what Tony was up to. She took another deep breath and tried to focus on the mound of paperwork that was on her desk.

If she wanted information, she was going to have to ask the source. She watched the two men intently as they returned to their desks. Tony gave her another look before looking at his computer screen and she noticed that he had dark circles under his green eyes.

Her stomach turned again. Maybe he was sick.

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It was well after 1 AM, and Ziva was sitting outside Tony's apartment, waiting for him to get home. It was pathetic, she knew, but she was sincerely worried about him and she wasn't leaving until he told her what was going on.

That was final.

Her cell phone was in her right hand, and she was playing some absurd game where the dots moved until they got to another dot, and then the dot line got longer. She heard the elevator ding around the corner and she shut her phone, standing up quickly.

She expected to see her partner stumbling and walking sideways, but he wasn't drunk at all. When he looked up from finding the key to his door, he was shocked to see the Israeli.

"Ziva." He walked closer to her, "What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you." She said softly. He stuck the key in his door and opened it, but turned back to Ziva.

"Here for booty call again, David?"

She was shocked that he actually cracked a joke, "Yes well, I prefer the best."

He smiled, but only for a second, and then leaned on the door frame, crossing his arms, "The real reason you're here?"

Ziva sighed and looked around the hall, "Do we have to do this out here?"

"Do what out here?"

"Tony, please." She said softly.

He stared at her and then nodded, "Okay, come in."

She walked into his dark apartment and went straight to the couch, sitting down and pulling her legs up beside her.

Tony turned on a lamp and then sat down beside her, handing her one of the two beers that were in his hands. He opened hers, and then his and took a sip.

"I am sure you have already had a few of these, yes?" Ziva asked before taking a sip.

Tony shook his head, "I only had one. And it took me four hours to drink it."

Ziva stared at him as he stared down at his beer. "Can we talk?" She asked softly.

He looked at her, "Okay. "

"Good."

It was silent for about a minute, "I don't think this really counts as talking, Zi." He said softly.

"No, it does not." She sighed, sat her beer down on the table and turned to him again, "What is going on with you, Tony?"

He shook his head, "Nothing."

"I have been your partner for five years, Tony. We have been through a lot, right?" Tony nodded for confirmation, "I consider us friends." When he didn't respond, she asked him the question, "Do you consider us friends?"

Tony nodded again, "Yeah, I do Zi."

"Then you can talk to me." He took another sip of his beer and still didn't respond to her. "Tony, are you sick?"

He looked at her again, "Am I sick?"

"You have dark circles under your eyes, you got a call last week, and now you are requesting a month off."

He shook his head, "No, Ziva. I'm not sick."

"Your Dad. Is it your Dad?"

Again, the federal agent shook his head, "Dad's fine."

Silence again.

Ziva let out a sigh. She was tired of asking questions, but she felt she was getting somewhere with him. "Did you get another job?"

He shook his head, "What? No." He stood from the couch, "Look, Ziva, I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine, everything is fine. I'm not leaving for a month, the blue paper is leave for a week. I'll be back next Monday, okay? No offense, but I'm really tired and need to get some sleep." He walked to his bedroom.

That was it. She was done. She stood from the couch and followed him, "Tony you are not fine! I have watched you for a week! Everybody can tell that you are not fine!" She took a deep breath and calmed herself down, hoping that her yelling didn't wake the neighbors in the late hour. "Tony, if you are sick…"

"I'm not sick Ziva." He said calmly. He let out a deep sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. "The call I got last week on the Morris case was an ex-girlfriend." He explained. Ziva sat down on his bed and looked up at him, waiting for him to continue. He shook his head and looked down at the floor. "When I called her back, she told me a bunch of stuff…" He sighed again, "…I didn't believe her, but then she told me she had end stage lung cancer, and that she had no reason to lie to me."

Ziva furrowed her eyebrows together, "Lie to you about what?"

He let out a sarcastic chuckle and sighed again, "I have a son."


	2. You have a what?

**Okay, so...This chapter. It was extremely hard for me to write. I didn't think it would be, but it was. It's really a filler-type chapter, the good stuff is coming, I promise. I do have ideas for later chapters, so stick with me.**

**Tony and Ziva may be a little out of character here...but, like I said, this chapter was hard. **

**I hope you enjoy, and please let me know what you think when you get to the end. **

**Disclaimer: Still not mine.

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It was hard to shock Ziva David.

But Tony DiNozzo certainly knew how to do it.

Her mouth hung open as she stared at him. Her mind was in overdrive with questions and she wanted to make some use of her open mouth and ask the man at least one. But she couldn't seem to form any words.

It was silent for several minutes, and she hadn't even noticed that Tony joined her on his bed until she spoke again. "You have a son?" She asked, just in case she heard him wrong. He only nodded, and Ziva assumed that he was having trouble making his own mouth work. "What is his name?" She decided to go with the most obvious question first.

Tony didn't answer right away; in fact, it felt like half an hour before he answered her, "Andrew." Ziva looked at his handsome face. He was staring at a spot on the wall. "He's 12."

Good. Tony already answered her next question. "Where does he live?"

Tony finally took his stare off of the wall and looked at her, "Arizona."

Ziva looked down at her hands that were in her lap, "You dated his mother?"

"Kerri? Yeah." He said softly. "We only dated for about 6 months." He chuckled sarcastically, "That was a long time back then."

"What happened?" She made herself ask. She didn't really want to know.

He sighed deeply and shrugged a shoulder, "She slept with my roommate." He chuckled sarcastically, "And half the floor, or from what I understand. It was never proven. I thought I was in love." He was looking down at his hands.

Ziva let out a sigh. "If that is true, how does she know it is your child?" She felt awful for asking him that, but she had to. She had to know.

Tony looked at her, "I don't know, Ziva. But I can't just sit here and pretend that she never called. If he's mine, I have to take care of him. I always told myself that if I ever became a father, I wouldn't be like mine."

She understood that the question upset him, "I know, Tony." It was silent again for a while, "So you are going to meet him?" She asked slowly.

Tony nodded as a response. "I have to." He stood from the bed, "According to his Mom, I'm the only thing he's got anymore. "Her mother and father died a long time ago. Kerri is an only child." He walked around his room for a second and then stood still, shaking his head, "I can't do this, Ziva."

Ziva looked at him, "Do what?"

He looked right back at her, "Be a father."

"You do not want kids?"

"Yeah, maybe. Or I did." He sighed deeply, "I don't know. I used to. I'm a federal agent, Ziva."

Ziva nodded slowly, "Yes, I know where you work."

Tony ignored her failed attempt at small humor, "I don't have time to raise a kid right now."

"Tony there are a lot of agents who have a family."

"I know that." He responded." But when and if I get a family, I didn't want it to be like this, Ziva. I'm not ready. I don't know how to be a father. Mine certainly wasn't Ward Cleaver. I have no experience."  
It turned silent again and they both jumped when Tony's cell phone started buzzing on his dresser. He rolled his eyes after looking at the caller ID and silenced it. Ziva furrowed her eyebrows and looked at him. He shook his head, "Don't ask."

Sighing, she stood from the bed and walked over to him, grabbing his hands and holding them between herself and Tony. "I know you can do this." She said softly. "You are a great person, Anthony. And you will make a great Dad." Tony barely nodded and then stared at her as she stood on her tip toes and kissed his cheek.

He smiled at her and squeezed her hand, "You know, you could be a great counselor. You should look into it."

"I already have a job." She said with a smile and then became serious, "When are you leaving?"

He sighed, "In about 7 hours." He pulled his hands from Ziva and ran a hand over his face, "I've still got to pack."

"Would you like me to help?" Ziva asked. Over the past week, Tony did nothing to deserve all the niceness she was currently offering him.

If she had known the news, she would've been nicer before as well, she decided. She made a mental note to remind him of that later.

Tony walked over to his closet and pulled out his suitcase. After putting it on his bed, he walked back over to her and put his hands on her shoulders, "No thanks, Zi. You go home and get some sleep. I can handle this." He didn't want her to leave, but it wasn't fair to the Israeli to have to stay.

"You really should not do this by yourself." Ziva said.

"What? Pack?" He smiled at his own joke, but Ziva didn't. She stared at him as he walked up to her. "I'll be fine, Ziva." His voice was low and he stared into her brown eyes. There was suddenly a mood in the room, and if he didn't move away from her soon, he was going to have to do something. He wasn't exactly sure how Ziva would feel about him ripping her clothes off. He cleared his throat and put his hand on the small of her back as he walked with her to the door. "Go home. Have a glass of wine, and get some sleep. Don't worry about me." He watched her walk out, but lightly grabbed her arm to make her turn back to him. "Thank you, Ziva. For everything. You uh," He stopped and let out a chuckle, "really helped tonight. I mean it."

Ziva looked at him. There weren't a lot of times when he was serious, but she knew that this was one of them. She smiled a genuine smile, "You are welcome."


	3. Almost There

The alarm clock next to his bed turned from 4:56 to 4:57. He sighed out loud, only 3 more minuets until he was to get up.

All this non-sleep wasn't good for him, he knew, but he couldn't do anything about it. After he got the news, he'd counted sheep until he got to 4,354, and at that point it just got boring.

4:58.

He had been thinking about Ziva a lot lately. Not that he didn't before, but she was really weighing on his mind. She was really there for him tonight, and he loved her for that. About a year ago after a case, he and Ziva had went out for drinks. She told him that night that she would always have his back and be there for him. He never imagined that she would have to be there in the current way, but she was.

4:59.

Gibbs understood what he was going through when he told his boss earlier that day the reason he needed the week off. Tony knew that if he would've had any alone time with Gibbs, that he would've gotten great advice. He wasn't sure what McGee's reaction would've been, but he was pretty sure it probably wouldn't be very helpful. He would be in shock, but no advice. The same with Abby, Ducky, and Palmer.

He actually jumped when the alarm clock blared. After turning it off, he ran a hand over his face and pulled the warm covers off, heading to his bathroom for a shower. He wasn't sure if it was the warm water or from being overly exhausted, but he briefly wondered why anybody hadn't invented a shower with a bed inside it for instant sleep. He made a mental note to call one of those late night numbers that announced if you had something worth selling, to call it and become a millionaire.

After a nice, warm 15 minute shower, he forced himself out of it and dressed quickly. After brushing his hair and teeth, he was out the door and heading for his car in 20 minuets.

He was literally pulling into the airport when he suddenly realized that he was about to fly somewhere and meet his _son._ He couldn't do this alone.

He stopped the car and leaned his head back on the seat, taking a deep breath. The way he saw it, he had two options.

Option one, he could call Ziva, break a few laws and pick her up, break a few more laws driving back and hope that they made final boarding call.

Or two, he could get over it and do it alone.

Taking another sigh, he thought about it some more.

The more he thought about it, the more option two _sucked_.

He flipped open his cell phone so hard that he almost broke it and speed dialed number 2: Ziva David.

The Israeli said several Hebrew curse words towards the person calling her phone well before 0600. She didn't even lift her head as she flipped open her phone and barely held it to her ear.

"I hate you."

Tony couldn't help but smile, she was always _lovely_ at this time in the morning. `"I know you do." At this point, Ziva couldn't tell if it was Gibbs, Tony, or McGee. No accent, so it wasn't Ducky. Rude of her, yes, but that's what this person got for calling this early. She almost fell asleep again until the male voice spoke, "But I need ya to hop up, pack a bag and be ready in about ten minutes."

"Where are we going?" She asked.

Tony was a little hurt. Did she really forget that fast? "To Arizona?" _Now_ she knew who it was, "You remember the little conversation we had last night?"

She sat up from her bed and sighed, "You said you did not need any help, Tony."

"I know I did, Zi. But I do. If you don't wanna go, it's fine. I mean, I'll make it through somehow."

"No, I do not want to get up from this bed and go to the desert." She was already sliding jeans onto her legs, using her shoulder and chin for a phone prop.

Tony smiled again, driving 70 in a 55, "Then why did I just hear a zipper, Ziva?"

Ziva pulled on a shirt and rolled her eyes at her partner, "Because I am unzipping somebody's pants. We are going to have a nice morning session."

Tony's brain pinged with jealousy, even though he knew it was almost impossible for her to have a man in the bed with her, "Tell her I said hi." He grinned at his own joke, "I'll be there in 5, Zi."

Ziva scoffed at him and threw her phone on the bed. She didn't have a clue what she was going to tell Gibbs her reason for being gone a week, but she was sure he'd put two and two together and figure out she was with Tony.

Sure enough, Tony was knocking on her door 5 minutes later, and she opened it, holding a suitcase in one hand, "I still hate you." She mumbled.

He smiled the biggest smile she'd seen in a week from her partner as he took her suitcase, "We'll stop for coffee, or we may have hours for coffee if we miss the plane." He poked her arm, "Did you tell your lady friend hello for me?"

She whacked him in the chest as she passed him in her hallway. "Lets go so I can sleep on the plane."

He caught up to her and grabbed her arm again, just like he did earlier that morning in his hallway. "Hey," He took a breath, "You know I appreciate this, right?"

Ziva only nodded, a small smile formed on her lips, "We are going to miss the plane."

Tony stared at her for several long seconds and then he snapped back into the real world. "Yeah, lets go."


	4. Airplanes, Clouds, & Conversations

**Disclaimer: Not mine.

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Turbulence woke Tony from his small nap on the plane. He rubbed his eyes with his right thumb and index finger, and felt the need to stretch until he noticed his partner sound asleep on his left shoulder, a small snore escaping her mouth.

He smiled and wandered if he should take his cell phone and record it, so that he could prove to her that she did, in fact, snore. That would cease the argument they had about it every month or so when she fell asleep on his couch after movie night. He took a deep breath and leaned back on his seat, closing his eyes and hoping that he could fall asleep again.

The plane shook again, and this time it woke him and Ziva, who sat up quickly. He yawned, "Morning sunshine." She cut her eyes at him as she moved her head back and forth, trying to get some relief in her tense neck. "Yeah, I know sleeping on this rock couldn't be too comfortable for you." He grinned and patted his left bicep.

Ziva rolled her eyes, "Actually, I do not care for my pillows so soft." Now it was her turn to grin. "What time is it?"

Tony looked down at his watch, "8:42 Washington DC time. "

Ziva nodded and let her head fall back on the seat, "Only two more hours, then."

"That would be correct, my ninja." Tony mumbled. He looked out at the clouds that were on the other side of the window. "Do you think he looks like me?"

After realizing that he just changed the subject, Ziva scoffed and answered him quickly, "With any luck." Tony turned to her, a big grin on his face. "What I meant was that I do not know what this woman looks like." Her face was beet red and she had no way of hiding it.

A grin was still on his face, "That's not what you said, Zi." He then looked down at his bag of salted peanuts. He turned his head back towards the window, "She was gorgeous." He said softly. Ziva moved in a little closer so she could hear what he was saying. "Dark brown hair, blue eyes, perfect body. She was funny, sweet, caring." He chuckled sarcastically, "Maybe a little too caring." He then looked at Ziva, "I thought I was in love." Ziva only looked down at her hands as a response. He let out a sigh, "Well, I guess it doesn't matter anymore." He returned to looking out the window, and silence landed between them.

Ziva gulped. She had a question she'd wanted to ask him since he told her the previous day. She didn't know how he would respond, but she had to know. "Tony?"

"Yeah?" He said, turning to look at her.

"If she was not dying, do you think that you would…" She stopped and swallowed another lump that was blocking words from exiting her mouth, "…start a life with them?"

He sighed, "Honestly I never even thought about that." He scratched his chin, "It would definitely be a conversation, I guess. But she would have to have a hell of an explanation for the fact that she didn't tell me that I had a son for twelve years. You don't just get over that." Ziva nodded. She knew where he was coming from. "That's even if she would've told me. I think the only reason she told me is because she's dying."

Ziva already didn't like this woman.

"Do you think that she had a valid reason for not telling you?"

Tony scoffed, "No. She and I talked about kids. I remember it like it was yesterday. She wanted four; I said three at the most. But one thing we agreed on is always being there for each other and for our kids. I don't know what she was thinking in not telling me. Maybe because I told her I didn't ever want to see her again." He chuckled sarcastically, "Well, with a few choice dirty words added in."

Ziva felt her heartbeat speed up a few thousands beats per second, "You wanted a family with her?"

Tony looked at his partner and nodded, "Oh yeah. We planned our entire life. House, career's, kids, cars, dogs." She suddenly felt sick. "That feels like a thousand years ago, though. I don't want any of that now."

Ziva made herself look at him again, "None of it?"

Tony looked her in the eyes and smiled, only slightly, "Well, not with her." The two of them looked away from each other, suddenly feeling awkward. He cleared his throat, "What about you David?"

She shrugged, "What about me?"

"Did you ever talk about a family with anybody?"

She shook her head, "You do not think about that stuff in Israel."

Tony tilted his head and gave her a look, "There are families in Israel."

"Yes, there are, Tony. But to most people a family is the last thing on a list. And you usually do not make it to the last thing."

Tony swallowed at the thought of Ziva not making it to the bottom of her list, whatever that item was, "Is it your last thing?" He felt he had to know. She looked at him and he knew right away that he was going to fight her for the answer, "Now Ziva I've been pouring my heart out here. You gotta give me something."

The corner of her mouth turned up and she looked at him again, "Fine."

He grinned like he just won a prize at the fair, "So?"

She answered him after another moment of silence, "No. I would have to say it is not on the bottom of my list."

Tony relaxed in his seat, "Good." She looked at him, "You deserve to be happy, Zi."

There were a lot of times when Ziva wanted to jump Tony's bones, and there were a lot of times when she wanted to shoot him. But at this moment, she wanted to hug him.

"Thank you, Tony."

He smiled and squeezed her knee before turning back to the window once again.

Only one hour and 45 minutes to go.

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**Okay guys...thank youu for the reviews and favorites! They make my day. **

**Again, this chapter is a filler. Next chapter I promise we'll meet Andrew! **

**Review? :)**


	5. Hospital

Ziva was bored.

They were sitting in the parking lot of the Arizona State Hospital, watching people walk in and out, the doors sliding back and forth, back and forth. She slumped in the passenger seat of the small car Tony rented from the airport.

The battery on her cell phone was down to one bar, and she figured she better quit playing the multiple dots chasing the one dot game before she completely killed her phone. She shut it and couldn't help but let out a sigh.

Tony saw her out of the corner of his eye and let out another sigh, "I'm sorry, Ziva." Laying her head back, she rolled it to look over at her partner.

Ziva thought she should be nice and shook her head, "There is nothing to be sorry about, Tony." Her mind began to make a mental list of all the things she could bring up when she needed a favor from him. "It is good that you are taking your time."

He nodded and the corner of his mouth turned up, "Yeah. But I know it can't be fun sitting in this car waiting on me to finally get the nerve to actually go inside the building." He ran his hand through his hair, "It's just…my son is in there." He looked at her for confirmation and she nodded slowly.

Truthfully, Ziva was a little worried about her partner. She'd never seen him act like this, and she felt that all she could do was let him figure things out before going in the building. "I understand, Tony."

"I think I'm ready." He said, gripping the steering wheel.

Ziva didn't get too excited; he'd said that twice before, "Okay."

He didn't make any effort to get out of the car as he spoke again, "I was wondering that if somebody would pinch me, I'd wake up and it all be a dream." Ziva raised an eyebrow and then reached over to him and pinched his arm. "Ow!"

Ziva gaped, "You told me to pinch you, did you not?"

"No, I didn't, and that hurt!" Tony rubbed on his arm.

"You said somebody pinch me!" Ziva argued.

Tony pinched the bridge of his nose, "It's a saying, Ziva. And where did you learn to pinch so hard?"

She looked at him and smiled, shrugging a shoulder, "I do everything hard, Tony."

He laughed, "Noted."

A long few minutes of silence went by, "Let me see your cell phone." Ziva said, holding her hand out flat.

Tony raised an eyebrow and unclipped it from his belt, "Why?"

"Because mine is almost dead and I am strangely addicted to the dot game."

"The dot game?" He put it in her hand, "Oh, you mean 'Snake'."

"Is that what it is called?"

Tony nodded, a small smile on his face, "Yeah. The snake gets the food and the snake gets longer."

Ziva flipped open his cell phone and found the game. "Thank you." She said.

Tony chuckled again, "It's the least I can do, Zi."

A few minutes later, Ziva was well into her game as Tony gripped the handle on the car door and opened it. Ziva popped her head up to look at him as he got out of the car. She quickly shut his phone and followed him, taking a couple long steps to catch up with him.

She didn't know when or what changed his mind, or if he was worried about suffocation from the car that was currently heating up like an oven, but he was walking like there was a bomb behind him about to blow.

Ziva watched the front doors slide open one more time as she and Tony walked into the building. Tony gave her a quick look before speaking to the clerk at the desk, "Hey, Kerri Gilson's room?" His voice cracked as he spoke.

The clerk looked up at him, a smile on her face, obviously attracted to the senior agent, "Are you family?"

Tony nodded. He didn't feel like doing the agent thing and showing his badge to force his way in, "Yeah. She and my son are expecting me." He swallowed the lump that was in throat.

Ziva wanted to choke the clerk for the look she'd just received, "What about her?"

"This is her sister." Tony lied. He hated hospitals before, and this one certainly wasn't helping that fact. Clara, the clerk's tag read, nodded slowly and then typed on her keyboard.

"Fifth floor, room 549."

Tony nodded, "Thank you." He took a right down the hall and then pressed the up button on the elevator.

"I could have waited outside." Ziva said softly.

He gave her a disproving look, "You didn't want to come in?"

She sighed, "I do not want to make this any harder on you, Tony."

"You're not, Ziva. I'm glad you're here." As the elevator opened, Ziva smiled slightly at his statement. After the elevator ride to the 5th floor, they headed left to room 549. Tony looked through the small window that was inside the door,

Inside was a woman, Tony's age, lying on a hospital bed, IV's in each arm, monitors all around her in each direction. Next to her bed was a young kid, sitting in a chair, holding her hand and looking at the floor.

Tony gulped and spoke so softly that Ziva had to lean in to hear him. "That's her." Ziva moved over closer to him so she could see through the small window.

"That is Andrew?" Ziva asked, although it was clearly a statement rather than a question.

Tony only nodded.

After a few minutes of looking inside, he took a deep breath, "It doesn't look like she has long." Ziva nodded in reply, "I'm going in."

Ziva looked up at him and put her hand on his shoulder, "I will wait out here."

Tony looked back at her and nodded as he turned the handle on the door.

Here goes nothing.

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**Don't hate me. New chapter coming soon. :)**

**Okay, for the people who live in Arizona: I've never seen, been to, or know anything about Arizona. So the "Arizona State Hospital" is completely made up. I don't know if it's real or not, but it works for my story.**

**Review? :)**


	6. Andrew

Tony walked into the hospital room and froze, holding the door slightly open so that it wouldn't make a noise as it closed.

The room was dark; the only light was from the monitors that were connected to Kerri.

He took a breath and swore he sucked all of the air out of the room, "Hey." He said softly.

The young kid that he assumed was Andrew finally looked up from his mother's hand and spoke. "Who are you?"

Tony swallowed the lump that was in his throat and walked two steps deeper into the room, the door finally closing behind him.

"I'm Tony DiNozzo." He said softly.

The kid stood up and walked over to him, "Oh." Tony held out his hand and the kid shook it, "Andrew." He raised and dropped one shoulder, "Andy for short." Tony awkwardly stuck his hands in his pockets, unsure of what to do at that moment.

Swallowing another lump, he spoke softly, "How's she doing?" He knew it was a stupid question as it left his lips.

Andy shook his head, "She doesn't have long." All Tony could do was nod, he could tell that just from the look of her. "The doctor said she probably won't make it through the night."

Tony looked down at his shoes, "I'm sorry. I know it's hard."

Andy nodded in agreement, "It is, but we knew it was coming." He sighed, "We had fun these last couple of months, doing all kinds of stuff together. I think it was stuff she wanted to do all of her life, but never made time to do it." Tony nodded and began to make a mental list of things to do before he died. He shivered at the thought as Andy continued, "Even went sky diving. Went to several Diamondbacks' games and got to run the bases."

Tony smiled, "That's awesome, I'm sure that was a lot of fun."

Andy nodded, "It was. But sad at the same time."

The federal agent let out another sigh, "You're braver than me, though. I'm too chicken to jump out of a plane with nothing but some nylon to slow me down."

Andy smiled, "I was very scared. But Mom grabbed my hand and we jumped."

Tony was about to reply to avoid tears that were wanting to build up in his eyes when the doctor walked in the room. "Oh, someone new?" He asked.

"This is Tony." Andy said softly. The doctor reached out for Tony's hand and the two men shook hands.

"I'm Doctor Shelton."

"Nice to meet you." Tony said.

"You as well. I've got to do a complete examination of your mom. Should take about an hour."

Tony and Andy nodded and turned to leave the room.

Ziva stood in the hall as soon as she saw her partner. "Andy, this is my partner, Ziva David."

Andy held out his hand again and Ziva shook it, "Nice to meet you, Andy."

Tony pointed to the room behind him, "The doc's gonna take about an hour, want to go get something to eat?"

"Okay." Andy said. The walk from the hospital was silent, Tony and Ziva only sending glances toward each other as they walked. "This is your car?"

Tony sarcastically chuckled as he unlocked it and got in the driver's seat, "The rental place didn't have much to choose from."

"I don't know why people even come to this town."

Tony looked in the rearview mirror, "Dull?"

Andy rolled his eyes, "The dullest."

"Whatcha feel like eating?"

Andy raised and dropped a shoulder, "There's a McDonalds."

"There's a McDonalds in DC." Tony said plainly.

"Other than that you've got Mexican restaurants and Southwestern grills."

"What about pizza?" Ziva said proudly. If this kid was Tony's son, she knew for sure he loved pizza like his father.

Andy nodded, "Pizza sounds good. Turn left at this light."

The trio walked into Andy's favorite pizza place and found out that they shared the same pizza love: sausage, pepperoni and extra cheese.

"So how long have you two been dating?" Andy asked.

Tony and Ziva looked at each other, "We're not dating." Tony said, a small smile on his face.

"But you said 'this is my partner'." He put quotations in the air to make his point.

Tony smiled, "Yeah, she is. At our work."

"Oh. You're a FBI agent, right?"

Tony closed his eyes and shook his head, "NCIS Special Agent."

"NC-what?" Andy asked.

Tony sighed, and then chuckled, turning to his partner, "I thought we were past that question."

Ziva pressed her lips together and shook her head, "I do not think we will ever be."

The order number that was assigned to Tony was called and he stood to retrieve the pizza.

"Past what question?" Andy was very confused.

"When we identify ourselves to people, most have never heard of NCIS. It stands for Naval Criminal Investigative Service. We solve cases involving the Navy and Marine Corps." Ziva said.

Tony returned with the pizza and the trio ate in silence for a while, "So, Tony, are you married?" Andy asked.

He had to cough to keep from choking on his bite of pizza. After taking a sip of his soda, he was able to speak again, "Uh, no. I'm not married." Andy nodded slowly.

"So you're married, Ziva?" Andy asked. Ziva shook her head in reply.

Andy gave Tony a weird look, shrugged a shoulder and took a bite of his pizza. Tony and Ziva looked at each other, and the three ate in silence until the pizza was gone.

Tony, Ziva, and Andy returned to the hospital after a short sightseeing trip. Exciting the elevator, they noticed a man standing at the window looking in at Kerri. Tony poked Andy's shoulder.

"You know him?" He asked softly.

Andy nodded, "Yeah, he was my 5th grade teacher." Tony furrowed his eyebrows as they continued their approach.

The man turned when he heard them walk up behind him, "Hey Andy! How are you?" Andy nodded slowly as if he was just as confused as Tony and Ziva. He hugged Andy and then stood back to his full form, holding his hand out for Tony to shake, "Hey, I'm David Ross."

"Tony DiNozzo." Tony said softly, "This is Ziva David."

"Nice to meet you. And how do you all know Kerri?"

"I went to school with her a long time ago."

David nodded, "Oh, okay. I see. Well I'm sure she appreciates you visiting."

Tony turned his head to the side and looked at Andy and then back at David, "And how do you know Kerri?"

"We dated a long time ago." He looked through the window again, "I hadn't really talked to her in a while, but then we kept in touch when she told me. Then I couldn't believe it when I saw Andy's name on my roster. I mean, teaching one of my own? Best thing I could've asked for."

Tony and Ziva's eyes grew wide and Tony had to take a breath before he could speak, "Teaching who?"

David put his hands on Andy's shoulders, and spoke slowly so that he was sure Tony understood.

"This is my son."


	7. Flat Lined

**Wow, I'm getting a little bit faster at this, right? :) Thank youuu a lot to all the reviewers, it really means a lot to me. And please continue to tell me what you think. **

**Disclaimer: Ha! I wish.**

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Tony took a step back from the man and crossed his arms. "What do you mean?"

David mocked Tony's position, "What do you mean what do I mean?"

"I mean, where are you getting that this is your son?"

Andy looked up at Tony and then back at David, "Kerri told me about 3 years ago that we had a son together. This is him."

Tony shook his head, "There's been some kind of mistake here. Andy is my son."

David chuckled in disbelief, "I don't know who you got your information from, but it's not right." He put his hands back on Andy's shoulders, "Andrew is my son. He's named after me."

Tony shook his head and took a breath, "Look man, I don't want things to get weird here. So, why don't we be civil and handle this like adults, alright?"

"That's fine, Tony. But there is nothing to handle. Andrew is my son."

Tony was about to open his mouth to argue again when the doctor walked out of Kerri's room. "Oh, hey. I didn't realize you all were back." David took two steps towards Tony and turned so that they were all facing the doctor. Dr. Shelton ran a hand over his face and squat down so that he was closer to Andrew's level. "Your Mom doesn't have long, Andy." Tears built up in the kid's eyes as the doctor continued, "She stopped breathing twice already, and we got her going again, because I wanted to give you a chance to say goodbye." He sighed and put a hand on his shoulder, "But it won't last long." Andy nodded, "You should say goodbye."

Andy took a deep breath and wiped the tears off of his cheeks as he slowly walked into the room. Tony turned and looked at Ziva, who also had tears in her eyes. She sighed, "Excuse me for a moment."

Tony furrowed his eyebrows together, "Hey, Zi." She turned and looked at him, "Are you okay?" She only nodded and continued down the hall to the ladies room. The two men stood out in the hall looking through the glass as Andy leaned over the rail of the bed and kissed his mother on the cheek.

"He's taking this very well." David said softly.

Tony nodded in agreement, "As well as could be expected. He's a brave kid."

"Yes he is." David let out a sigh, "I'm sorry someone mislead you into thinking that he's your son."

Tony turned to him, "Nobody 'mislead' me, David. He is my son. Kerri called me and told me about a week ago. Why would she lie to me on her death bed? She wouldn't." He turned to the window, "It's not my fault that she didn't tell me about him for 12 years. But I plan on making it right with him."

"Tony I don't want this to become ugly. But I am very capable of making it that way." Tony narrowed his eyes at him.

"Are you seriously doing this now? This kid just lost his mother. The last thing he needs right now is a fight between his father and whoever you are." Tony said.

David only scoffed and rolled his eyes, and the two men looked over when Ziva rejoined them. Tony put his arm around her shoulders, "You sure you're okay?"

Ziva nodded, "Yes, Tony, I am fine. Thank you." There was an awkward silence for several seconds. David looked over at the federal agent with a look of disgust on his face and Tony had just about had enough.

He gently grabbed Ziva's elbow and led her around the corner and about halfway down the hall so that he was sure his new acquaintance wouldn't overhear. "Ziva, I don't know what to do." He admitted, and then sat down on one of the benches in the hallway, holding his head in his hands.

Ziva shook her head, "I am not sure either, Tony. He seems certain that he is Andrew's father."

"But why would Kerri lie to me?" He sighed, "I figure that she might've told him that he was his father because she needed a father figure to be there for him. Or maybe she did it for money, I don't know. But if she wanted a father figure, why didn't she call his father? And she claims that's me!" Tony let out a frustrated sigh, "Maybe she was more screwed up than I thought." Ziva joined him on the bench.

"We should go and sit down with Andy. Maybe Kerri told him something that she didn't tell you or David."

Tony looked right into Ziva's brown eyes, "I just found out about him and I don't want to lose him. I want to get to know him, Ziva. It really means a lot to me.'

Ziva nodded, "I know you do, Tony." The corner of her mouth turned up, "He seems to like you." Tony smiled, and another silence flooded over them, "I am going to see if I can find us a hotel, alright?" Tony nodded again, "Any bed size preference?"

Tony gave her a look, "No, why would I care about the bed size?"

"Well, I assume that you want to take out some of that frustration towards Mr. Ross and Kerri on a nice blonde that you meet at the club you are going to later tonight."

Tony smiled his famous smile, "In that case, make it a California King, would ya?" He brushed his finger under her chin, "You know me too well, and you know that, right, David?"

Her only response was a smile as she walked down the hall and pressed the button for the elevator.

Tony lost his smile as he walked back to Kerri's room, just as Andrew was walking out. Tony gave David a look and squat down to Andrew's level, "Hey, you okay?"

Andy finally let down his guard and hugged Tony as tears poured out of his eyes, "She's gone." Tony gave his son a tighter hug.

He didn't know what he was going to do, and he didn't have a clue where to start. But he was willing to do everything in his power to prove that Andrew was his own blood.

Only time would tell.

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**Review? :)**


	8. Envelope

Tony held his hug with Andy as long as the kid let him. When they broke, David mocked Tony's position and wiped his tears from his cheeks.

"You okay, son?" David asked softly. Andy nodded in response, "Grab your stuff and let's get out of here."

Tony stood up just as David did and stuffed his hands in his pockets. He spoke softly and turned his back towards Andrew so he wouldn't hear him, "I don't think Andy should be allowed to go anywhere with you until we get this straightened out."

"There's nothing to straighten out." David said, and then turned to Andy, who was at one of the chairs where his things sat, staring up at the two men, "Get your stuff together, Andrew." David said again, this time his voice was a little louder. Andrew glanced at Tony and then began to put his things into a backpack.

"Look, I don't want to do this in front of him." Tony said

"We don't have to. But we're leaving."

Andy was staring down at the floor, "I don't want to leave yet."

"Andrew don't look at the ground when you speak and speak above a whisper." David said, "What did you say?"

"I said I'm not ready to leave." He said, looking right into David's eyes.

"I have to go, son. It doesn't matter if you're not ready. Get your things and let's go."

"Hey!" Tony said. His voice was loud, almost yelling, "Don't yell at him. Not right now." He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look, leave him here and go take care of whatever you've got to take care of. I'll be here with him." Tony knew the look David was giving him, "I know what you're thinking, and I'm not gonna run off with him. I would do that to you, but not to Andy. He doesn't need that right now and I think I'm the only one who understands that."

David stared at Tony for a long second and then turned to Andy again, "I'll be back to get you in about an hour, son." He brushed his finger under the kid's chin, "Keep your chin up." David then turned back to Tony, "I'll be back in an hour. If you're not here, you'll have hell to pay." He walked passed them and down the hall.

"Okay, now is our chance. Let's go." Andy began to pull on Tony's arm.

"We can't leave, bud. I'd be in jail for kidnapping."

"You're an agent, get yourself out of trouble."

Tony shook his head, "Not that easy."

Andy shrugged his shoulders, "Ziva could get you out."

Tony chuckled and shook his head. There was a long silence before Tony spoke again, "Why do you want to stay here so badly?" He sat down in one of the empty chairs. Andy didn't answer. He pulled a Diamondbacks cap on his head. "Is it because your mom is here?"

Andy shook his head and sighed, "I don't like him."

"Who? David?" Andy nodded, "He was your teacher, right?"

"Yeah. And he's a bastard."

Tony chuckled sarcastically and thumped the bill on his ball cap, "Aren't you too young to be using words like that?" Andy shrugged a shoulder.

"Where did Ziva go?"

Tony sat back in the chair, "To get us a hotel room."

Andy grinned, "Together?"

Tony laughed, "No. We're only partners. And nice way to change the subject." Andy sat down beside Tony, "Andy, did you know about David?"

Andy sighed heavily, "Yeah. Mom told me before she told him."

"Why didn't you tell me that?"

"Because I didn't believe it when she told me. Then she told me about you."

"And what did she tell you about me, exactly?"

"That you were my real father and she didn't want to admit it because she was embarrassed about her past. She didn't talk about it much."

Tony let out a sigh, "Your Mom made some mistakes when she was younger, but she was a good person. And I was in love with her." Andy nodded in response, and then a tear rolled down his cheek. Tony sat up, his elbows now on his knees. "Andy, am I your father?"

Andy looked at Tony with his blue eyes and swallowed hard before speaking again, "I don't know." Tony put his arm around the kid and squeezed his shoulder.

"We'll figure it out." Tony said softly. He hated Kerri for leaving her poor son with all this drama, but at the same time he was sad that she was gone for Andy's sake. The two guys sat and talked for the rest of the short hour that David was gone. He returned, and had an envelope in his hand.

"I have to admit that I'm shocked you're actually here." Tony glared at him as he told Andy to gather his things once again, and then looked at Tony again, "I got this for you. I thought it might…help in the current problem."

Tony looked down at the envelope and stuck it in his back pocket before squatting down to Andy. "Hey dude, I'll see you soon, okay?" Andy nodded and Tony pulled down his cap. "Be good."

Andy grinned, "Have fun with Ziva tonight."

Tony chuckled sarcastically and stood to his full form. David and Andy started down the hallway, and Tony watched them as long as he could.

Tony easily found his room from Ziva's text, and after getting the key from the desk he headed inside, flopping down on the bed and flipping on the TV.

He was comfortable for a while, the television was on, but he wasn't paying much attention to it. Like the last few days, his mind was on Andrew. The knock on his door snapped out of his trance, "Coming." He said, and stood, opening the door to reveal Ziva David and a large take out bag.

Ziva took a second and studied her partner. He was still in his jeans that fit too perfectly and a collared shirt, but it was no longer tucked in and he was barefoot. She smiled, "Hungry?"

Tony smiled and opened the door wider for her to come in, "Sure."

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**Hmmmm. Tiva love next chapter? We'll see. :) **  
**Reviewwww! 3 **


	9. Wall Street

Ziva sat the food on the small table and sat down in one of the chairs. Tony joined her and they began to eat the Chinese food in silence. She stared at him as he stared down at his food, a look of worry in his green eyes.

"Are you okay?" She asked softly.

Tony looked at her and gave a soft smile, "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine."

Silence again. Ziva ate a few bites, watching her partner carefully. He still looked very tired, the circles under his eyes not getting any lighter. She knew he was restless and worried, and wished there was something she could do about it. "So Andy is with David?"

Tony shot her a look and then shrugged a shoulder, "Yeah."

Ziva sighed, sat back in her chair and crossed her arms, "Tony, what are you going to do?"

He looked at her again, stood from the table and walked to the small counter to put more ice in his cup, "What am I going to do about what, Ziva?"

She didn't answer until he got back to the table, "Andrew."

"What do you mean what am I going to do?" He stopped eating completely and waited for her response.

She sighed, "If David keeps on insisting that Andy is his son, what are you going to do about it?"

"I'll fight him." Tony said, his voice rising. Ziva looked up at him, "What? What is that look? You don't think I should? You don't think he's worth it?"

"I did not say that, Tony." Ziva said calmly.

"Put yourself in my shoes, Ziva. If you had an ex-boyfriend that called you up out of the blue and announced that you had a son, what would you do?"

Ziva was trying to keep her cool, since she really didn't understand what she said to make him so mad. And she knew that if she yelled back at him, it would only make the situation worse, and she might've had to break a bone or two. She put both hands up for him to stop, "Tony I did not…"

He let out a harsh sigh and interrupted her, "I've had enough of opinions." She glared at him and then stood to leave his room.

"I will leave you alone."

After the door shut, Tony scoffed and went back to his bed, turning the TV up a little louder. He watched half of an episode of 'I Love Lucy' before flipping it and the lamp off, in hope to get some sleep.

It was only 10:30 in Arizona, but Ziva laid down in her hotel bed, blaming her tired state on the time change. She was almost asleep when there was a knock at her door. She almost decided to ignore it, but stood anyway and walked over to the door.

Tony DiNozzo stood before her in a pair of gym shorts and a t-shirt. "I got a movie for us to watch." He said softly.

She crossed her arms and leaned on the door frame, "I was almost asleep." She replied.

He held up a DVD case from a rental store, "I got Wall Street. It's good, about the only good one in that video store. Michael Douglas and Charlie Sheen are in it." She raised an eyebrow, "Don't worry, he wasn't as crazy in 1987 as he is now." She only continued to stare. Tony felt his mouth fall open a little, "You do know who Charlie Sheen is, right?"

She shrugged a shoulder, "Obviously a crazy person."

"What about Martin? Emilio? Renee?"

Ziva raised both eyebrows, "You are speaking in a language that I do not understand." She moved out of the doorway for him to walk in.

"That's a first." He said, a small chuckle in his voice. Ziva walked over to the bed and sat the pillows up on the headboard and then lay down on her back, crossing her legs in front of her. After Tony put the DVD in the player, he joined her, mocking her position.

The pair didn't say a word to each other for an hour into the movie. They had somehow moved closer to each other, now sitting shoulder to shoulder on the small bed. The TV was the only light in the room.

Tony looked down at Ziva, and she looked up at him, a small smile on the corner of her mouth, "Something big is about to happen."

Tony scrunched his eyebrows together and looked at the TV just to make sure he was watching the same movie she was, "Like what?"

"You always look at me when something big happens in a movie."

Tony smiled, "I like to see how you react to certain parts."

Ziva glanced at him again, "That is how I know something big is about to happen."

He chuckled and shook his head, "Nothing is about to happen."

She looked up at him and turned her head, "Then why were you looking at me?"

Tony sighed, and reached her hand that was in between them, interlacing her fingers with his. He looked down at her as he whispered. "I'm sorry about earlier." Ziva looked down at her hand to make sure that he had actually grabbed it and that she wasn't dreaming, and then looked back up at him. "I'm just tired and worried. I didn't mean to take it out on you. I'm really glad you're here."

Ziva felt as if she needed to pinch herself with her free hand, "It is okay." She whispered back to him, as if they weren't the only two people in the room. "I know that you have a lot on your mind."

He felt brave at that moment, and used his right hand to cup her face, "Yes I do." He moved his face closer to hers, "But that is no reason to yell at you."

He half expected her to flip on him and pull out a gun from somewhere in her pajama's, but she didn't move as he closed the small gap between their lips. He let his lips linger on hers for only a few seconds before backing up.

He moved his hand from her face, but kept holding the other one and returned his attention back to the movie. Ziva finally tore her stare away from him and put it back on the TV.

But she wasn't paying attention, as there was only one thing on her mind.

Did that really just happen?


	10. Payne & Fears

**Sorry about the forever-ness it takes me to upload. Super busy here. Thanks for staying with me.**

**Disclaimer: I wish they were mine. I'd have a lot of fun with them.**

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The sunlight coming through the curtain in the hotel room was what woke Ziva the next morning. She groaned and pulled the covers that were over her tighter around her.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, hoping that she could fall back asleep.

But the sun wasn't moving away from the window fast enough, and she let out a long sigh as she stood from the bed.

She opened the curtains and stood at the window, looking out at the city. Her mind drifted to the events of the previous night, where she and Tony had an argument-nothing out of the usual. Then, he had come over with a movie-nothing out of the usual. But then he reached between them, grabbed her hand, and then he kissed her.

They had kissed before on undercover assignments, and she'd kissed his cheek many times as a friendly 'thank you' gesture.

But there was something different about the one that happened last night.

When he kissed her, even though it was very brief, it seemed so...sincere.

Tony walked out of her bathroom, with a towel wrapped around his waist and a toothbrush in his mouth. She was clearly lost in her thoughts if her ninja sense didn't let her know that he was in the room yet.

"Morning Ziva." He said softly, his voice mumbled because of the foamy toothpaste in his mouth.

She turned around, genuinely surprised that he was there, "Shalom."

"Uh, hang on a sec." He said. She walked around the bed and crossed her arms, watching him carefully as he finished brushing his teeth, rinsed out his mouth and then returned to her, "I hope you don't mind, but my room's water wasn't working this morning. I called the front desk and the dude told me it was going to be 2 hours before they got to me because that whole side of the hotel is having the same problem." He stopped to take a breath, and used the time to study her expression, "And I need to get going, I have to meet David and Andy for lunch at noon. The dude at the desk told me he could put me in another room, but I told him I didn't have time for that, but I had a friend here and I'd just use hers and I just hope it's okay and you're not mad for me invading..."

Ziva put a hand up to signal him to stop ranting. He was nervous, she could tell, "It is fine, Tony." She said softly.

He let out a sigh as if to calm himself down, "Okay. Thanks. I gotta shave." He announced.

She smiled at him and walked past him, patting his cheek as she went into the bathroom. She stepped into the shower and then stripped her clothes, throwing them over the top before turning the water on.

The glass that was around the shower was the kind you couldn't see through, except for the top and bottom. Tony looked in the mirror as he wet his razor, and was sad to find out that he could only see his partner from her shoulders up, and from her knees down.

"Did you sleep well?" He asked her.

"What?" She replied.

He spoke louder so that she could hear him over the water, "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, I did. Yourself?"

"Yeah, I did. Best sleep I've got in about a week."

He heard her chuckle, "I am glad."

"So I called David this morning and he agreed to meet us for lunch. I thought we'd discuss plans for Andy, ya know. When he can come to DC and visit and things like that until we get this custody thing settled."

She squirt some shampoo in her hand and continued her shower conversation with him, "That is a great idea." She said, and she was really glad he decided to do this thing, even if his inner-self was screaming 'no' at him. "So I think I will go to a park and do some reading."

Tony looked at her through the glass he could see through, and had to really stop himself from getting in that shower with her to help her rinse her hair, but then brought himself back to reality and realized what she said, "What? Why?"

She looked at him in the mirror, "Because I should let you and David and Andy talk." She turned around and squeezed some soap onto the washcloth.

Tony stopped applying shaving cream to his face and looked at her again. "But I want you there." He said softly, but he lost sight of her when she bent down to wash the lower parts of her body.

Ziva sighed loud enough for Tony to hear her, "I just think you should talk to them alone. Get things out in the open without me sitting there. Andy might say more as well."

"Ziva, I want you there." He said, this time louder to make sure she heard him. Not only did he honest-to-god want her there with him, but he didn't like the idea of her sitting at a park by herself reading a book in a state he or she knew nothing about.

She rinsed off her body and turned off the water, "Can you pass me a towel please?"

Tony finished his line of shaving and then stepped over to the other side of the counter and got a fresh towel for her. "Here you go." He said, and when she reached out of the door to grab it he moved it back further. She reached for it again, until her shoulder was outside the stall reaching for it.

"Tony." She warned.

Tony laughed, kissed her hand and then handed her the towel, "Sorry Zi, I had to." He heard her chuckle as she stepped out of the shower, the towel now wrapped around her body.

He had already found the task at hand extremely hard to do while Ziva was in the shower, but now he was sincerely worried that he was gonna shave his nose off or something if he didn't get his eyes off of Ziva and her near-naked body with the perfect water droplets all over her skin.

"Are you sure you want me to go with you?" She asked him again.

He had to force himself to peel his eyes away from her body and look into her eyes."Yes, Ziva, I'm more comfortable when you're there."

"Okay." She said, and then walked into the main room to put clothes on.

Tony let out a deep sigh and finally returned to shaving, a task that usually took him a total of five minuets.

* * *

About an half an hour later, Tony and Ziva were in their rental car, heading to the pre determined restaurant that Andy picked.

They walked in and didn't see the pair they were looking for, so they picked a table for four and sat down. The waitress brought them each a water, and they sat, made small talk between themselves and sipped on the water as they waited.

An hour went by.

Ziva was on her third glass of water, had been to the bathroom twice, and was now trying to ignore the growling of her stomach.

It was way past her lunchtime.

Tony had just finished telling her a story about a car crash he witnessed while in college when she spoke again. "Are you sure we are the right place?"

Tony nodded, "Yeah, Andy showed it to me the other day. This is it, I know it. And then he said today at noon." Ziva made a point to show him her time adjusted watch, it was now 1:09. Her partner sighed deeply and pulled out his cell phone to call David.

Ziva leaned on the table with her arms and listened to the conversation.

"David, hi. It's Tony."

"_Yeah." _David replied.

"Ziva and I are here at Angelina's for lunch, did I get the time wrong?"

"_No, we agreed for noon. But we're not coming." _

Ziva felt her mouth drop open as Tony replied, "What? Why not?"

"_Tony did you look at the envelope I gave you?" _David asked him, his tone less-than-friendly, Tony noted.

"No, I haven't." He actually forgot about the stupid envelope until now.

"_Well you should look at it, because it not only contains the DNA results that prove that Andy is not your son, it also contains guardian papers that state that he is my responsibility. And we didn't come today because you wanted this lunch to sort out plans for him."_

"Yeah, for like when he can come to visit me and things like that."

"_Well, you don't make the rules, I do." _

Ziva literally wanted to jump through that phone and kill that man. She almost snatched it from Tony to give him a piece of her mind before Tony spoke again, "Who in the hell do you think you are? If you think you're getting away with this, you've got another thing coming. I'm going to see a lawyer and I will fight for custody."

"_Do what you think you have to."_

And with that, David hung up the phone, leaving Tony with nothing but a dial tone and anger flowing through his veins.

He looked up at Ziva and shut his phone, staring into her brown eyes. Neither of them knew what to say, so they had a silent conversation. Tony was more than pissed, the kind of pissed he got when they couldn't catch a serial killer that was killing kids or women back to back.

It was silent for a long time before he took a deep breath and spoke again, running a hand through his hair, "So uh, are you still hungry?"

Ziva shook her head, "No. I have lost my appetite."

Tony took another sip of his water and put it back on the table before standing, "Yeah, me too." He took a 5 out of his wallet and put it on the table for the poor waitress who brought them water over and over again. "I'll take you back to the hotel, then I'm gonna go see a lawyer."

Ziva shook her head and walked over to the driver's side of the car, "No, Tony. I am going with you."

"Ziva..." He started, but she put her finger on his lips.

"You are too upset and angry to drive, much less go talk to a lawyer that you already hate and do not trust. Yelling at him or her will not help. I'm going with you." She declared. He sighed out the corners of his mouth and nodded. She had a point, and he didn't want to go at it alone anyway.

Once they pulled up to the Payne & Fears (He was too upset to make fun of the names right now, but he made a strong mental note to do it when things were better), the duo got out of the car and walked into the building to the reception desk.

Ziva looked at him and gave his hand a squeeze, earning a look back to her, "Here goes nothing."


	11. Heart Broken

**Okay! So, as you will probably notice, this chapter is longer than what I usually post.**

**That is partly because I couldn't sleep (it's 5AM right now. :/) and I couldn't...stop writing. And the not stopping lead to the...'M' rating. Again, not my style. I'm usually a complete chicken when it comes to posting it. **

**The end gets...well...steamy.**

**But I marked it, and if you don't want to read that kind of stuff you can skip it, you won't miss anything. **

**Either way, pleasepleaseplease review when you get to the end and let me know if I've completely lost my mind and need to seek Ducky-like help. :)**

**Disclaimer: See what I would do if they were mine? Read on.**

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Tony and Ziva sat in the waiting area. Tony was leaning over with his elbows on his knees, and his hands in his hair while Ziva's sat back, her fingers intertwined over her belly.

His mind was racing with a mix of questions for the lawyer and anger he _really_ wanted to go take out on David. The man acted like it was Tony's fault for not being in Andy's life. How he could've known?Panic began to rush through his veins when he suddenly realized that there might be another woman that was not calling him and telling him about a child.

Of course, the way things were left with Kerri, that was the reason why she didn't tell him, he knew.

And he had some bad break-ups, but none that _he_ was the one actually telling her not to speak to him again. It was always the opposite, so he couldn't think of a one of them that wouldn't call and tell him that he had a child.

Or, at least he hoped.

Tony finally sat back and groaned, "What in the hell is taking so long?"

Ziva shrugged a shoulder, "Perhaps they are still in the meeting." She looked at her partner's face and sighed, "Tony, try and relax."

"I can't." He said, his voice in the tone it gets in when he was majorly pissed about something.

She knew he was pissed, and she knew he had a right to be. But going in the office and letting his anger out on the lawyer wasn't going to help things. She reached over and put her hand on his left knee, giving it a squeeze, "You cannot go in there yelling at him." Her voice was soft.

Tony sighed deeply and Ziva was glad she was actually making progress, "I know." He said quietly. "But if they don't call us in soon we will-" His sentence was interrupted when the receptionist was now standing in front of them.

"So sorry for the wait. Mr. Morgan is ready, if you will follow me, please."

Tony looked over at Ziva and they stood, following the woman through the busy office to one in the back.

The man, Mr. Morgan, Tony presumed, was on the phone when the receptionist showed them in and then shut the door behind them. Ziva joined Tony by his side and they both were playing the waiting game again, and it wasn't helping Tony's mood.

"Yeah, well tell him we won't take more than 5.2. Yeah, I'm serious. Call me when you get his answer." He said, and then slammed the phone down on it's receiver. He walked around the desk to his two new guests, "My apologies. The States Attorney is a pain in my ass. Jacob Morgan." He stretched out his hand and shook Tony's first.

"Anthony DiNozzo." Tony shook his hand and then watched as Ziva did the same.

"Ziva David." She said.

Jacob nodded, "Nice to meet you both." He walked around his desk and then motioned to the chairs in front of it, "Please, have a seat." He took a pad and a pen and readied it, then crossed his hands on his desk, "So what can I help you with?"

Tony was about to speak when another woman opened the door, "Mr. Morgan, so sorry to interrupt, that Jackson guy is on the phone again, demanding to speak to you."

"I'm in a meeting, Darcy." Jacob said as if it were obvious.

"I told him that, he won't take no for an answer."

"Tell him I will call him back as soon as possible. And bring me a spring water." He looked at Tony and then over at Ziva, "Can I get you anything to drink?"

Tony only shook his head while Ziva said a soft "No thank you."

"Okay. Thanks Darcy." Jacob said, and the door slammed behind the two agents again. "So sorry. Crazy busy day here. You were saying?"

Tony let out a long deep sigh as he spoke again, "I'm here because I want custody of my..." He stopped. David's words echoed in his head reminding him that the stupid DNA said he wasn't Tony's son. "Of um...Andy." He said.

"Uh huh, and who's Andy?" He looked over at Ziva, "Your son?"

Ziva shook her head, but Tony answered for her, "No, no. It's a complicated situation."

"Well, Mr. DiNozzo, I have to hear it, no matter how complicated it is."

Tony ran a hand through his hair, "Okay. I was contacted almost two weeks ago from an ex-girlfriend. Which is not anything out of the usual, but the others usually call just to yell at me for something else they heard about me." Ziva didn't know why, but she felt a pang of jealous stab her. She'd have to talk to Abby and see if she could find out who these women are. "But this one was different. Kerri Gilson had called and told me that I have a son."

"And this is Andy?"

Tony nodded and continued, "So I jumped on a plane. I wanted to meet him more than anything. And I get here, Kerri dies, and now this guy, David Ross, is claiming that Andy is his son."

"Does he have proof?"

Tony gave Ziva a look and then looked back at the lawyer, "Well he claims he did a DNA test."

Jacob sat up quickly in his chair, "Great."

Tony raised an eyebrow, "Great?" His voice wasn't sharing the same enthusiasm that Jacob's was currently possessing.

"Oh, I'm sorry, let me explain. Yeah, that's good news, because if he did it in Arizona I can look it up on the computer."

"And what if it says that I'm not his father?"

Jacob genuinely looked surprised, "You still want to fight it?"

Ziva felt her mouth fall open while Tony chuckled in disbelief, "Yes!" He almost yelled.

Jacob put his hands up, "Sorry, it's just that I don't get a lot of these. Okay, well, you didn't know about him, right?"

Tony shook his head, "No, she never told me about him."

"So you've never seen him until a few days ago?" Tony nodded again, "And this guy, uh, David, he's never seen him either?"

"He has, because Andy was in his class. He's a teacher."

"I see." Jacob said, "So he's known for how long?"

"David?" Tony asked. Jacob nodded, "Three years."

"And Kerri said that David is Andy's father?"

Tony nodded, "Yeah, but I think she just wanted money. She was kind of a player like that."

"Are there any other children involved?"

Tony shook his head, "No. Andy is the only one."

Jacob's computer beeped and Tony's stomach fell to the floor. Jacob added his glasses to his face and then studied the screen, "Alright now, Andrew David Gilson." Tony's heart sped up. He remembered that David said Andy was named after him. "It seems David did to a DNA test, Mr. DiNozzo." He took his glasses back off and sat back in his chair, "And it shows that Andy is David's son."

Tony gulped, "So what can I do?" Tony asked him.

Ziva wanted to reach over and grab her partner's hand. His voice was shaky, and he was nervous as hell. But she decided against it for the moment.

Jacob let out a long sigh and leaned on his desk, with his hands crossed again. Darcy finally returned with his bottle of spring water and a bunch of 'While You Were Out...' papers for him. "Thanks Darcy." He said, and then turned his attention back to Tony, "Look, Mr. DiNozzo, I like the truth, as I'm sure you do."

Tony nodded, "Yeah." He managed to say. Ziva had heard enough, Tony was about to lose it and she needed to help. She reached over both arm's of the chair and grabbed his hand, pulling it back over to her lap.

"This is the truth." Jacob started, "You didn't know about this kid until three days ago. David has already done a DNA proving that he is Andy's father, and you haven't been in his life where as David has."

"That wasn't my fault." Tony said sternly.

"I understand that." Jacob said, taking a sip of his water, "But the judge will always go with what's best for the child. And in your case, David will win." Tony looked down at his shoes, "You can fight this if you want, but I am telling you, from just the information you have told me, you don't have a case, and you won't win. It will be a waste of money and your time."

Tony rubbed his forehead with the hand Ziva wasn't holding, "So that's it? There's nothing I can do?"

Jacob shook his head, "I'm afraid not."

Tony dropped Ziva's hand and stood quickly. Ziva stood up as well, ready to stop Tony if she needed to. He raised his hand and pointed at Jacob, "Look man, I don't know you very well. But I will fight this, and if you're not gonna help me I'll go to somebody who will."

Jacob stood as well, "Look, it's not that I don't want to help you, it's that I don't think it will be worth your money. I hate seeing people try this when they know very well what the outcome will be. Now you and Mr. Ross could handle this outside the courtroom and eventually come to some kind of agreement without all the hassle and money."

Tony didn't say anything else.

Or, more accurately, he didn't know what to say.

Once again, he thanked the higher powers that Ziva was there with him, "Thank you for your time." She said softly. She tugged gently on his arm and made his legs move towards the door.

Tony's head spun out of control as he held loosely onto Ziva's hand as she lead them to out of the lawyer's office.

From what Jacob Morgan had just told him, fighting for custody of Andy would be pointless and a waste of time and money.

It didn't seem fair.

He wanted to fight, badly. But there was this thing in the back of his brain that was screaming at him that he couldn't win. And that Jacob was right. He didn't realize they were outside until Ziva spoke up.

"Tony." She said, and when he finally looked at her she spoke in a normal tone, "Can I have the keys please?" Tony nodded and dug in his pocket before retrieving them. "So, according to my phone, the next lawyer's office is on the outside of town and if we hurry we can make it before they close." She said, and shut her phone to start the car.

Tony squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head, "No, Zi. Lets just go back to the hotel."

Ziva put the car in park again and looked over at her partner. "Back to the hotel? But Tony I thought..."

"He's right." Tony said softly. "I can't win. David is Andy's father. He's been in his life. There's nothing I can do."

Ziva realized her mouth was hanging open and she closed it, unsure of what to say. When she couldn't think of anything she reached over and grabbed his arm, giving it a squeeze. "Are you okay?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Tony shook his head again, "No, not really. But I guess I will be."

Ziva nodded once and put the car in reverse again, driving back to the hotel in silence.

Several hours went by, and Ziva was now on the phone with a travel agent, making arrangements for them to return to DC, per Tony's request. He had insisted to Ziva that he was okay, but just needed to be alone.

"Okay, thank you so much." Ziva said to Karen, the travel agent, and then hung up her phone. She sighed and walked around her room and finally ended up on her bed. She was bored and worried about her partner.

Earlier, she was trying to think of an excuse to go over there, but every one that she came up with wasn't going to cut it. She sighed, ran a hand over her face and fell back on the bed.

After almost 30 minuets of staring at the ceiling, she couldn't take it anymore. She had to go and check on him.

She walked out of her room, making sure not to let the door slam, then walked over to Tony's room and knocked softly.

When he didn't answer, she knocked again.

She felt her heart speed up. Was he passed out drunk in there?

She pushed on the door and found that he hadn't closed it all the way when he went in earlier. She almost stumbled in when the door opened to her surprise.

"Tony?" She said softly. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, his elbows leaning on his knees, hands folded, head hanging low and staring at the ground.

When she saw that he was alive and, well, breathing, her heart slowed down.

"Tony?" She said his name again, as if the first time got a huge response. But he still didn't move or answer her. She took three steps towards him, and she was now close enough to where she could smell him.

God, that smell. It was what drove her crazy about him most of the time. Three more steps towards him, and now she was standing directly in front of him.

"Tony." She said his name now, and then gently put her hands on his shoulders and gave them a squeeze, "Are you alright?"

He looked up at her and Ziva immediately knew he was fighting to keep tears from falling from his eyes. She cupped his face and he turned his head to the side and kissed her wrist. He then lifted his arms and wrapped them around Ziva's waist, burying his face into her stomach.

Ziva's own heart was broken for him. He was miserable, that she knew. She also knew there wasn't anything she could do about it, and that only made it worse. She wrapped her arms around his head and brushed the back of his hair with her fingers.

She swallowed the lump that was in her throat and managed to say something, "I am sorry Tony."

He looked up at her, but Ziva didn't move her arms and neither did he, "Don't be sorry."

She ran her hand through his hair again, "What can I do?" She honestly wanted to know.

She felt him shake his head on her stomach, "There's nothing you can do." He said. "There's nothing anybody can do."

Before, Ziva's heart was hurting for him, now it was in complete pieces. "I called the travel agent." She said softly. As much as she hated it, maybe what Tony needed was to get out of Arizona. "Our flight leaves at 2 tomorrow afternoon."

Tony nodded into her stomach again and then moved his arms from wrapped around her waist to where his hands were gripping her hips. "Thank you." He said. He was leaning his forehead on her stomach, holding her as if she was the only thing keeping him from falling over onto the floor.

Ziva continued running her hands through his hair, "No need to thank me." She said softly, "I will do anything you need me to."

"I know you will, Ziva." He replied. He looked up at her again, his chin propping up his head with her stomach. He returned his forehead to her stomach and squeezed her hips, causing Ziva to take in a bigger breath than she probably should have.

Tony rolled his head back and forth on her stomach, "I at least wanted the chance." He said.

His voice cracked and they both knew he was fighting tears, "I know." She said softly. And it was what he needed at that moment.

A friend.

**Okie Dokie, if you don't want to read steamy stuff, skip on down to the nice review button from here. But if you do want to read it, then read it and THEN press the nice review button. :)**

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He buried his face again, but this time it caused her shirt to rise to where his nose and lips were touching the bare skin of her stomach. Ziva's hands froze on his head when she realized that he was placing small kisses on the skin there.

She looked down at him and he looked up, and then stood up to his full form, but she didn't back up, so they were practically chest to chest. His hands left her hips and cupped her face, and it didn't take him long to lean in and press his lips against hers.

When he was sure she wasn't going to decide to stop and kill him, he dropped his hands from her face and put them on her hips again.

The kiss was deep and it made Ziva's toes curl and her heart go into overdrive. She broke it when oxygen was becoming an issue for both of them, and when she managed to catch her breath, she spoke softly to him, "What are we doing?"

If it was even possible, he pulled her closer to his own body and whispered onto her lips, "I don't know." And then he dived into another kiss.

They needed to stop, and Ziva knew it.

It was wrong for two reasons: 1- It was completely breaking Gibbs' stupid number 12 rule that she never liked anyway, and 2-he was way too upset right now.

But god he knew how to kiss. He could do that to her all night long and she wouldn't ever have problem with it.

His hands slid up the back of her shirt and began drawing lazy circles there. She slid her hands down his chest and rested them at the bottom of his torso. When he moved his hands back down her back and pulled up on her shirt, she knew she need to make sure he knew what he was doing at this moment in time.

"Tony, stop." She breathed, but after her shirt was gone, his hands returned to her hips and his lips returned to hers, kissing her deeply again. She reluctantly pulled back, "Tony." She breathed and he leaned his forehead on hers, "Now?" She asked.

It wasn't really a full question, but they both knew exactly what she meant. Tony only responded with another mind blowing kiss, and it was the answer she honestly wanted from him. He knew exactly what he was doing. And maybe his emotions were high and on edge, but it was what he needed.

She pulled on his shirt and their lips parted for seconds while she pulled it over his head. He maneuvered her onto the bed with him and quickly moved so that he was hovering over her. When he moved from her mouth and began kissing down her neck, Ziva moved her hands and started working on his belt, while his hands were busy with the stupid bra-clasp thingy.

It finally got loose enough for him to get rid of it, and when he did, he continued south and gave his full attention to each of her breasts, causing her to squirm and moan under him.

She had now removed his pants as much as she could, and he helped her out by pushing them the rest of the way down. He kissed down her stomach and stopped when his lips hit denim.

"Tony." She breathed, and damn it, her voice was even more sexy than usual when he had her like this. He removed her jeans and panties and returned to her stomach, kissing the spot where he had earlier.

Her hips bucked upwards and she was growing extremely inpatient.

"Now Tony." She said harshly.

He understood that she needed this as much as he did, because 6 years was a helluva long time to wait for something that needed to happen on day...two.

He kissed his way back up to her mouth and positioned himself between her legs, entering her slowly at first, but then started to find a rhythm on the faster. It wasn't long before Ziva flipped them over and began to rock, loving the feeling of he was giving her. It was completely unfair for them to have waited this long.

Ziva worked in that way until it pushed them both over the edge, and she collapsed on top of him, exhausted.

He pushed the hair out of her face and kissed her lips, both of them breathing hard, fighting for air that was forgotten in the last 10 minutes.

Tony moved back enough just so he could see her face, "I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't came with me, Zi."

Ziva smiled and leaned into him, giving him another kiss that he would remember the rest of his life, "You are welcome."


	12. Goodbye

**Merry late (very, very late...) Christmas and Happy New Year! Okay, so sorry about my super long delay. The holidays tried their hardest to kill me but no, here I stand. So you get an update, finally! **

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The sunlight coming through the window is what woke Ziva the next morning. She stretched a little, but not so much as to wake the man lying beside her. Turning over in his arms, she watched him sleep for several minutes until she was falling asleep again. The sudden cool of the air on her naked body startled her, he had moved and his green eyes fluttered open.

She gave him a small smile, "Shalom."

One corner of his mouth pulled upwards, "Hey."

They stared at each other for a couple of minutes until Tony cleared his throat and sat up. "I'm gonna shower," he told her, "We need to get packed up and get the hell out of here." Ziva watched as he walked into his bathroom and closed the door, only to return a few seconds later, "Water still isn't on."

She pressed her lips together, but then spoke softly, "My room."

He nodded and walked over to the suitcase, pulling out a pair of boxer briefs and a t-shirt. She stood from the bed, grabbing her clothes off of the floor and slipping them on her body. The two walked to Ziva's room without a word. She put her suitcase on the bed and began to clean up a little while she heard the shower turn on in her bathroom.

There was a knock on her door and she walked over to it slowly, her ninja sense on high alert. "Andy." She said, genuinely surprised, "What are you doing here?" She opened the door wider for him to come in and he did, walking over to the bed and sitting down on it.

"I just wanted to tell Tony that I am sorry. Do you know where he is?"

She nodded, "He is in the shower." Andy let a smile cross his face and Ziva rolled her eyes, "His water is not working in his room."

He nodded, "Uh huh, sure."

Ziva stood to her full form and gently smacked the kid on his head. "He should be done in a few minutes." She returned to packing, "How did you know where we were staying?"

"Tony told me about how crappy this place was and I knew it was the only one around here."

Ziva nodded, "This was not the best choice," She agreed, "But it is much better than some of the other places we have stayed on assignment." She made a face of disgust at the thought.

Andy laughed and looked up at her, "Have you ever been shot?"

Ziva looked at him at the sudden change in conversation. She swallowed, "Yes, I have."

He stood and walked over to her, "Where?"

Ziva bit her bottom lip, "I have been shot several times."

"Did they hurt?"

She nodded, "Yes, very badly."

"Has Tony ever been shot?"

She nodded again, "Yes."

"Wow." He walked over to the hotel's dresser and picked up Ziva's badge, "I thought you only carried this when you were on assignment."

Ziva shook her head and continued folding her clothes, "No, I am technically on duty. So I have to carry it with me."

"Where is your gun?" Andy asked her.

Ziva smirked, "Somewhere safe."

"Can I see it? Please?"

She shook her head, "No, it is very dangerous for a person who does not know how to handle a gun to hold one."

He looked down at the ground, "Aw man, I'll be careful."

She chuckled, "If you are so interested in guns, perhaps you should be a police officer when you grow up."

Andy nodded quickly, "Mom wanted me to be a doctor, but I think I have seen enough of hospitals. I think I want to be a secret service agent, like you and Tony."

She smiled, "Tony and I are not secret service."

Andy furrowed his eyebrows, "Same thing, though, right?"

Ziva was now pulling out clothes to wear for the day, "Yes, but we are way cooler." He laughed and she continued, "The secret service does investigate sometimes, but our job is to protect and serve the entire Navy and Marine Corps. We mostly solve crimes."

"Whoa, and you see like dead bodies and stuff?"

Ziva chuckled again, "Yes, almost everyday."

"That's so cool!"

She shook her head, and wiggled her finger at him, "Not as cool as you may think."

"You don't like your job?"

"Yes, I do, but it is complicated on some days. I am sure any job gets that way." Andy nodded and they both looked up when Tony emerged from the shower. He was only wearing a pair of jeans and had a towel over his head, running it over his wet hair to dry it.

"Hey Zi, do you want to…" He stopped mid-sentence when he removed his towel and saw the two of them standing in the room. "Andy." He said in surprise, "What are you doing here?"

Ziva collected her clothes she sat aside to wear for the day and motioned towards the bathroom, "I am going to shower and let you talk." She told them, and walked into the bathroom and shut the door.

Andy stuck his hands in his pockets, "Will you let me hold your gun?"

Tony furrowed his eyebrows together at the strange question, "Will I do what?"

He sat down on the bed again, "Ziva said I couldn't hold her gun because it wasn't safe or something, but you're really cool so I thought…"

Tony shook his head, "No, she's right. It's dangerous and not a toy."

Andy rolled his eyes, "Fine."

Tony laughed and slipped on a t-shirt. He sat down next to him on the bed, "So you came here to see if you could hold my gun?"

He shook his head and looked down at the floor, "I did it."

Tony was confused, "You did what?"

Andy sighed and stood from the bed and stuck his hands in his pockets, "Mom told me that she knew without a doubt that you weren't my Dad, but I didn't want to listen to her. I just hoped I could change things."

Tony put his large hand on the kid's shoulder, "So you had her call me even when you knew I wasn't your father?"

Andy nodded, "Yeah. I didn't want to live here anymore. And Mom told me you lived in DC and I thought it would work."

Tony was sure his heart broke into a million pieces. He knew exactly what Andy felt like, his mom dead and a dad that sucked. He felt the same way most days back when his own mother died. He squeezed Andy's shoulder to make him look at him again, "Hey, I know how you feel. Things will get better kid, I promise."

Andy looked into Tony's green eyes, "I miss my mom."

He nodded, "I know you do. And you know, that feeling never goes away, but it does get does get easier."

"Did you love her?"

Tony looked down at the floor for a second before meeting his eyes again, "Yeah, a long time ago."

"She was a great person." Andy replied.

Tony nodded in agreement, "I wish I would have kept in touch with her after college." Andy only nodded back at him.

There was a long silence between them and Andy sighed to get his attention again, "I have to go."

Tony nodded and stood, "Okay. But you're welcome to hang out with us if you want."

Andy shook his head, "Can't. Mom's funeral is in a little while."

He nodded, "Oh, okay." He thumped the bill of his baseball cap, "You're a lot braver than I was when I was in your spot."

Andy smiled, "So you'll let me hold your gun now?"

Tony laughed and reached into his back pocket, pulling out his wallet, "I'll tell you what, take my card. If you need anything at all, you call me, okay? And when things calm down, talk with your Dad and see if he'll let you come hang out with me for a week or so in DC. I'll take you too a shooting range."

Andy's face lit up and he grinned from ear to ear, "Aw man really? That'd be awesome!"

Tony laughed, "Yeah man. We'd have a blast." He walked with the kid to the hotel room door, and the two turned to look at Ziva when she emerged from the shower, a towel over her body and holding her hair up.

Andy grinned at Tony again, "Can she stay with us?"

Tony hit his shoulder, "Do you need me to take you home?"

Andy shook his head, "You are avoiding the question, and no thank you. I have a cab waiting on me."

Tony furrowed his eyebrows together, "You are twelve, how do you have a cab wait on you this long with the meter running?"

"I have Dad's credit card." He grinned and Tony lifted his eyebrows.

"Does he know you're here?"

Andy shook his head, "No, but I told him I was going to a friends house."

Tony turned his head, "Andy…."

"Which is the truth, right? You are my friend."

Tony had completely forgotten his long lecture about telling parents the truth. He looked down at him, "Of course." He squat down and gave the boy a hug, and with a last goodbye watched as he walked to the cab.

Ziva walked over and stood next to Tony as they watched the cab drive away. Without taking his eyes off of the road, Tony spoke to her softly, "He's a brave kid."

She nodded in agreement, "Yes he is. Smart too."

Tony finally took his stare off the road and sighed, "I'm gonna go back to my room and pack and you've clearly got to get ready."

Ziva nodded, "Yes."

"Okay, we'll grab some food before we get on the plane. Sound okay?"

She nodded again, "That sounds fine."

"Okay." He left her side and walked back over to his room, sticking the card key in and waiting until it beeped before opening the door. Ziva stared at the closed door for a few seconds before turning and walking back into her own room.

What a week.


End file.
